Indian Low cost carrier IndiGo doubles Airbus A350-900 wide-body aircraft order to 60 planes.

• Indian airline IndiGo is set to double its order for new long-haul Airbus A350-900 aircraft.
• The carrier signed a contract yesterday for the delivery of an additional thirty new A350-900 aircraft.
• The Indian carrier entered long-haul operations this year with Boeing 787-9s leased from Norse Atlantic Airways.
• The company ordered its first long-haul Airbuses last year, with deliveries scheduled for 2027.
• Delivery of the thirty new aircraft is planned for the beginning of the next decade.

Indian low cost carrier IndiGo has doubled its order aiming an overhaul of its long-haul operations, signing a contract with Airbus for 30 additional A350-900 XWB planes, taking the total wide-body order to 60 planes.

The carrier announced the preliminary agreement last June at the IATA congress, and signed the final contract yesterday. With the previous order, the company will gradually have 60 A350 aircraft at its disposal. The company's CEO Pieter Elbers described the decision as a strategic move.

Precisely, the deal converts 30 of the airline's 70 existing purchase rights into firm orders, leaving it with options on 40 more aircraft. The move represents a significant bet on India's growing aviation market and the airline's push to establish itself as a global competitor.

"Today is a special day for IndiGo as we solidify our commitment to expanding our international footprint," said Pieter Elbers, IndiGo's chief executive. "The conversion of this MoU into a firm order for 30 additional A350-900s is a testament to our confidence in the future of Indian aviation and our strategic partnership with Airbus."

IndiGo placed its initial order for 30 A350s just last April, its first wide-body purchase, and has already launched European routes including Amsterdam, Manchester and with Copenhagen, London, and Athens to be the next.

The aircraft are powered by Rolls-Royce's Trent XWB engines, known for fuel efficiency. The combination will give IndiGo "enhanced operational flexibility" as it pursues routes to the Americas and beyond, the airline said.

Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus's executive vice-president for sales, called IndiGo "one of the fastest-growing airlines in the world" and said the order "reinforces our strong partnership" and commitment to supporting the airline's expansion into new long-haul markets.

With more than over 2000 daily flights across 90 domestic and 40 international destinations with a fleet 400 plus aircraft, the expansion into long-haul flights was never a surprise.

IndiGo is a very important customer for Airbus, with a total order of over 900 aircraft from the European manufacturer. It will begin deliveries of the A321XLR model next year.

With around 900 aircraft in its order book which includes A320Neo family aircraft, IndiGo aims to meet the demand from India's big middle class, and the international travelers for connecting flights in the South Asian region.